Spurs and Heels(Divine Creek Ranch 5)(9)

She continued stacking everything on the kitchen counter as they

came and went, loading boxes and furniture. Ash brought the ladder

in for her and then left to deliver items Teresa was donating to the

Goodwill store, while the other guys took a load of boxes to Angel

and Joaquin’s house.

Juliana finished packing the last of the glassware and was about to

tape the box closed when she remembered the clock. She moved the

seven-foot ladder into place and climbed up high with the needle-nose

pliers Ash had provided her, to get at the flexible wire that secured the

fragile, old clock on the nail. It took a lot of doing, but eventually she

got a hold of one of the ends and started unwinding it.





* * * *



On his way back from the Goodwill drop-off location, Ash

grinned to himself, remembering the sight he’d beheld earlier that

morning. Before Juliana had gone on her tirade, which served to make

the memory only sweeter, she’d been on her hands and knees,

working in the closet, humming to herself. He’d come up on her

silently to enjoy the view as long as he could but knew the moment

she sensed his presence because she’d stopped humming.

She’d had that luscious, upside-down-heart-shaped tush that stuck

straight out, her curvy upper thighs stretching and flexing as she

reached to the back of the closet for something, and all he could

envision was what she’d look like, ready and waiting for him to thrust

his cock into her from behind. He’d gotten painfully hard imagining

how her pussy would feel. Depriving him of the view, she’d stood up,

her cheeks rosy and her sky-blue eyes shooting sparks. Then her



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Heather Rainier

words had registered in his lust-soaked brain, but she’d had it all

wrong. She’d thought he was making fun of her body.

His cock got hard again, thinking about telling her what he truly

thought of her gorgeous ass as well as the rest of her, but he’d wait till

they were completely alone before doing that.

He backed into the parking spot next to her pretty, new Camaro

and climbed out of his truck, careful not to ding her white paint.

Noticing the other guys’ trucks were still gone, he turned the knob

and pushed the front door open, eager to see if she was alone in the

apartment so they could talk for a few minutes.

Ash heard a feminine yelp and a scrabbling, sliding sound. He saw

her hand grappling fruitlessly for the top of the door as it swung open.

A soft whimper was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass and a

sickening thud.



Spurs and Heels

31





Chapter Three



“Oh, fuck! Juliana!” Ash swung the door open, pushing the ladder

out of the way, afraid of what he would see. He’d knocked her off of

the ladder, causing her to land on the glass-topped coffee table that

was supposed to go with the next load of furniture. She lay motionless

in the midst of the now partially broken table and shattered glass top.

Ash squatted down to her. “Oh, shit! Darlin’—”

Groaning, Juliana looked up at him with pain-filled eyes, jerking

her head back in agony and whimpering when she tried to sit up. She

looked up at him helplessly.

Ash was torn, afraid to move her and cause her further pain but

unable to leave her lying in the broken glass and splintered wood and

hardware.

“Hold still, I’m going to lift you up. Did you hit your head or your

neck?”

“No, it’s my shoulder and wrist. I—ow!” she yelped loudly as he

lifted her carefully and placed her on a straight-back chair.

“Damn. What happened in here?” Ethan asked warily as he and

Adam poked their heads into the doorframe. “Juliana, are you okay?”

Bits of glass fell to the floor as he carefully looked her over for

injuries. She had a fairly serious-looking laceration between her

shoulder blades. “Would one of you guys get a dish towel or

something? Her back is bleeding. Darlin’, you should’ve locked the

door while you were—”

Juliana grimaced in pain as she turned scathing blue eyes on him.

“You should’ve knocked, you overgrown asshole! You knocked me



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Heather Rainier

right off the ladder, barreling in the door like that! Why were you in

such a hurry?” She cried out in pain when he lifted her wrist.

“I have no idea, none at all,” he said as Ethan handed him the

requested towel. He pressed the dish cloth to the bleeding laceration

that was soaking the back of her torn shirt.

She arched away from him suddenly. “Ow! Fuck! You’re making

it worse. Give me the towel. Ow! My wrist! Get out of my way. I

need ice.”

Ash would’ve gotten it for her, but Juliana rose quickly from the